Who We Are
The Peace Orchard is guided by trustees who bring diverse experience and a shared commitment to its founding vision — a place rooted in peace, connection and care.
Together, they steward its growth, supporting a living space where community, creativity and nature meet.
Heather S Davison
Heather S Davison is a creative leader, Chair of Normandy Day UK and custodian of the Coventry Peace Orchard, with a background in senior public health and marketing education roles at the Royal Society for Public Health and Chartered Institute of Marketing. Her work brings together creativity, wellbeing and community, drawing on a lifetime of experience to develop inclusive, place-based programmes that connect people, nature and culture.
Balbir Sohal
Balbir Sohal has extensive experience across Coventry City Council, education and consultancy, and has worked widely on peace and justice initiatives, including with Anne Frank Trust UK. She is also a member of the Lord Mayor's Peace & Reconciliation Committee and brings deep expertise in peace education to her role as a trustee.
Soumya Ramamoorthy Rao
Soumya Ramamoorthy Rao is a Supply Chain Senior Project Analyst at Jaguar Land Rover, with an international career spanning India and the UK. She brings strong analytical, organisational and project management expertise to the charity, supporting the effective delivery and long-term sustainability of its work.
Rhys Davies
Rhys Davies is a History teacher at Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Coventry, with a strong commitment to peace, reconciliation and environmental action, including work connected to UNESCO initiatives. He leads projects such as the school's Peace Garden and community campaigns, and was recognised with a Special Award on the International Day of Peace in 2021.
Craig Shanely
Craig Shanely has a professional background as a Systems Analyst at FIS, bringing strong analytical and problem-solving skills developed within the financial technology sector. As a trustee, he supports the charity with a thoughtful and structured approach, contributing to its effective IT strategy and long-term sustainability.
From a small planting ceremony to a thriving community space
What began as a single act of remembrance in Coundon Hall Park has grown, season by season, into one of Coventry's most loved community resources. This is how it happened.
The Beginning
Founded as part of Normandy Day UK's peace education mission, The Peace Orchard was established in Coundon Hall Park — a living act of remembrance on the centenary of the First World War, planted by volunteers, families, and local schoolchildren.
First School Partnerships
For the first time, local schools brought pupils into the orchard. Children planted trees, explored the site's peace heritage, and began connecting classroom learning to the living landscape — the foundation of what would become our schools programme.
Placeholder — confirm date with trusteesA Growing Community
With regular planting days, seasonal events, and a growing volunteer network, The Peace Orchard became a recognised gathering point for people of all ages across Coventry. The community wasn't just visiting — they were helping shape it.
Placeholder — confirm date with trustees100 Trees Planted
A milestone moment: the hundredth tree took root in the orchard, planted by the same mix of children, families, and volunteers who had helped grow the project from its earliest days. Each tree a name. Each name a story.
Placeholder — confirm milestone dateResilience & Renewal
Even through the disruption of the pandemic, the orchard continued to grow. Volunteers adapted their roles, online resources were created for schools, and the community's connection to the orchard deepened — returning with renewed purpose when the gates reopened.
Placeholder — confirm date with trusteesA Space for Everyone
Today, The Peace Orchard is a thriving, free community resource — a place of reflection, learning, creativity, and belonging. Rooted in the heritage of 1944, tended by hundreds of hands, and growing into the future one season at a time.
Want to be part of the next chapter? The orchard is always growing — and so is the community around it.